Blue Jays' Ponce Injures Knee in MLB Debut

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce's long-awaited return to Major League Baseball ended in heartbreak on Monday night when he suffered a right knee injury during his debut start against the Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre.

The 31-year-old right-hander, making his first MLB appearance in five years, was cruising through the third inning when disaster struck. With a runner on third, Rockies center fielder Jake McCarthy hit a ground ball between the mound and first base. Ponce chased the ball toward first, but his knee buckled as he attempted to field it, sending him tumbling to the ground in pain. McCarthy reached safely, and the runner, Kyle Karros, scored the game's first run. Earlier in the at-bat, Ponce had slipped on the mound, resulting in a balk that advanced Karros to third base. Ponce had laughed off the initial stumble and continued pitching.

Trainers attended to Ponce on the field as he lay near first base, clutching his knee and covering his face with his arm in evident distress. He stood with assistance from teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and walked gingerly to a cart before being driven off, blowing kisses to the crowd in an emotional exit. Blue Jays manager John...